Citizen Species
Maeykka is a land with a plethora of sentient beings that have learned to live, more or less, alongside each other. Entry into Citizen Species status has generally been determined by two criteria: # Whether or not a creature is able to pass down its history to future generations, this could mean an oral tradition or a written one, but the creature must be able to comprehend the concept of their past and their future, as well as their place in it. # Whether or not the creature is willing to negotiate with and respect the rights of other Citizen Species. This second criteria has become especially important as certain sentient beings that pass the first criteria are completely dismissive of the second - for instance, dragons and fairy folk. It is a deeply complicated issue and still subject to revision even in the Modern Era as new intelligences are considered. The civilization that set these rules in place were the Vei, a highly intelligent, powerful and magical species that arrived from the Continent of Iyn. The most populous Citizen species are now Sunling, weak beings that had been teetering on the edge of survival until the Vei conquered the land and ushered in a respite from stronger natural forces. They are followed by the Mertral. Somewhat less populated, but still very significant, are the Hael and Norfolk. In the Third Epoch, contact was made with the previously hidden northern island called Jitta, long shrouded by a mystical fog. Jittering, small but intelligent, have immigrated in larges masses to the main continent ever since and are one of the quickest rising populations in Belenus. When contact was made with Foundland near the end of the Third Era, the Souffolk of the desert and Gedeg tribes of the plains began diplomatic visits. By the Modern Era, some have settled as expats into concessions on Belenus, though they are still fewer in number. Species (by pop) Sunling: A strangely resilient species, Sunlings have been found on every habitable landmass of Maeykka. They are known for both their adaptability and their fragility, their quickness to learn and their quickness of life. They are called Sunlings because, unlike the Vei or the Hael, they can not see in the dark and therefore work when the sun is up. The first census of the modern era found 10.3 million Sunling registered as living in Belenus. Mertral: An amphibious species that thrives in the wet areas of the continent, they spend their lives half on water and half on land. They are strongly tied to their places of origin and are usually found in their familial groups. Their natural physique and training underwater make them particularly agile and strong warriors. The first census of the modern era found 6.98 million Mertral registered as living in Belenus, though this includes an estimate of the deep water Mertral living in the sea between the Marshlands and the Rainwater islands. Norfolk: A Northern race that makes their homes burrowed deep in snowy mountains. They are larger than the Mertral and almost completely covered in an insulating fur and are known for their monstrous boulder-crushing strength. Prior to the Vei arriving in Belenus, they ruled themselves in hundreds of tribes. But after years of wars and with the help of the Vei, they consolidated into one mass tribe called Snowdenne. The first census of the modern era found 3.9 million Norfolk living in Belenus, 80% of them in Snowdenne. Hael: The product of Vei and Sunling inter-species mingling, Hael have one of the shortest fossilic histories in Maeykka. They are adept at Maegye arts, echoing the Vei connection to myst, but also have enough strength to handle most Sunling-made weapons. They naturally enjoy living in high and green places, even in the cities. The first census of the modern era found 3.1 million Hael living in Belenus. Jittering: A small species that looks like a cross between a squirrel and a monkey, Jittering were originally found only on a certain island in the Eastern Sea. Driven by their curious nature, droves of them hopped aboard Belenus exploratory ships and came to the mainlands just before the start of the Modern Era. In fact, their intelligence, a direct compliment to the engineering feats of the Sunlings, is said to have been one of the main reasons for the industrialization that led to the Modern Era. The first census of the modern era found just under 1 million Jittering living in Belenus, though there are presumably many more on Jitta. Suffolk: A race that has adapted and thrived living in the desert. They look the most similar to Sunling but with a shorter stature, longer arms and fox-like features. Though in the common language they are called Suffolk, they refer to themselves as the quawmi. Most Suffolk in Belenus are traders from the Atahmeen empire. The first census of the modern era found about 400,000 Suffolk who reported living in Belenus. Gedeg: A huge nomadic species that has wandered the entire landmass of Belenus and Foundland for generations. Originally thought to be just common four-legged beasts and often captured to become laborers, advances in Mentalist Maegye tools gave them the ability to communicate with other Citizen Species for the first time. It was only then that their intelligence, culture and histories were realized and they were granted Citizen Species status at the beginning of The Modern Era. Because of their nomadic lifestyle in the no man's lands, it has been hard to pinpoint exactly how many are on the entire continent, though there have been 126,000 that have registered as citizens. Vei: The mystical Vei are, along with their Hael children, the only Citizen Species that had no counterparts in Belenus whatsoever before recorded history. All Vei in Belenus can trace their ancestry to the 13 boats that fled from Yu'eh with Princess Yu'na over 3,000 years ago. They live extremely long lives and turn to stone when they finally pass on. It is believed that their life force comes from Void Maegye and that the infertility and shorter life spans in Belenus versus Yu'eh comes from their separation from the Void. There are less than 10,000 Vei alive in the modern era.